£8m Shropshire chicken farm says on-site manager is needed to cut bird deaths

A multi-million pound Shropshire rural chicken farm wants to build a manager's house to help prevent "higher than acceptable bird mortality rates".

A planning agent for Roden Poultry has told council officials that an off-site manager cannot get to the site at Rodenhurst Lane, Rodington Heath quickly enough if something goes wrong at the isolated countryside site.

Ian Pick, of agent Harrison Pick, has told Telford & Wrekin Council planners that since the Rodenhurst Broiler Units became operational in late 2022 it has "become increasingly evident that the enterprise cannot function without undue risk to the welfare of the livestock without a manager residing permanently on site."

The business has been managed by using an automated alarm system that calls out a manager who lives away from the site.

"This arrangement has resulted in unavoidable delays in attending alarm activations," the agent writes.

"As a direct consequence of those delayed responses, the site has experienced higher than acceptable bird mortality rates."

The business houses some 300,000 birds in six units housing 50,000 chickens.

There is a computer-controlled environmental management system in each of the units but any system failure needs a very speedy reaction.

"Even a journey of 10 to 15 minutes — which would be the realistic minimum from most nearby settlements — could, in a worst-case scenario involving ventilation failure in hot weather, result in significant and irreversible animal welfare harm," Mr Pick writes.

The current arrangements are inadequate making an onsite residence "essential," planners have been told.

Planners have been told that an investment 'in the order of' £8 million has been made in the business.

It has a turnover approaching £6.8 million per annum and recorded a gross profit of £497,380 in 2025.

Mr Pick has told planners that there is a "clear, compelling and genuine essential functional need for the site manager to reside permanently at the unit."

Planners will decide the application following a consultation period.